There's poisoning the well and there's tempering expectations. I think the parent comment is more of the latter in that is speaks to the author's other works th

There's poisoning the well and there's tempering expectations. I think the parent comment is more of the latter in that is speaks to the author's other works that are announced with great hype but haven't played out as definitively as the early hype claimed. This is a problem everywhere and acknowledging that this author in particular is a standout isn't a terrible thing--they just might be right this time.